1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recording apparatus for printing on opposite surfaces of a recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, there is a technique of a so-called "opposite surface copy" for forming images on opposite surfaces of one sheet of a copy paper. According to this technique, the copy paper is fed to a copying unit so that its one surface is copied, and the copy paper is then turned upside down and fed back once more to the copying unit. One of the copy paper feeders for this technique is constructed of: a copy paper reserving unit for reserving uncopies new sheets of copy paper in a stack; a first feeding unit for feeding the copy paper in the copy paper reserving unit sheet to a copying unit; an intermediate tray for receiving from its one side the copy paper which has been fed to the copying unit and had its one surface formed with a copied image and turned upside down, and reserving the same; and a second feeding unit for feeding from said one side of the intermediate tray the sheets of copy paper which have been reserved in the intermediate tray sheet by sheet to the copying unit. In this copy paper feeder, the copy paper having entered the intermediate tray, is pulled out or switched back, when it is to be fed again to the copying unit, in the direction opposite to the entrance direction. As a result, the copy paper has its top and bottom inverted or turned upside down from the position which is taken when it is fed from the copy paper reserving unit to the copying unit, so that it cannot provide an opposite surface copy in which its opposite surfaces have their tops and bottoms arranged in identical positions.
In order to eliminate this drawback, there has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-44656, for example, a technique in which the intermediate tray in the aforementioned copy paper feeder is divided and turned substantially by 180 degrees about the surfaces of the copy paper stacked in that tray.
This prior art technique of dividing and turning the intermediate tray is disadvantageous because it requires a complicated feed passage for the copy paper which is likely to be jammed or clogged. There arises another problem that the space required for accommodating a unit for dividing and turning the intermediate tray prevents miniaturization of the recording apparatus.